A Women for Obama dispatch from Colorado ...
On Sunday, State Senator Moe Keller joined us at the Jefferson County Campaign for Change Headquarters to lead a women's health discussion and kick off a Women's Walk canvass. The event was held in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We took the opportunity to highlight Senator Obama's strong support for research to find cures and treatments for breast cancer and other diseases affecting women, as well as the many other ways his health care proposals will positively impact women's health and well-being. We were lucky to have Senator Keller, who has served the residents of Jefferson County for over 20 years in elected office, leading the discussion. She has been strong advocate in the Colorado legislature for women's health, mental health and many other critical issues. She explained some of the stark contrasts between the health care plans of Senator Obama and Senator McCain and answered important questions raised by the women in attendance. She also let us in on her own personal canvassing tips! Coincidentally, Senator Obama published an Op-Ed in The Denver Post that same morning entitled "Health care a right for all Americans," in which he mentioned his own mother's battle with ovarian cancer. You can read it by clicking here.After the discussion, our field organizer Andrea led a canvass training and the women set out on a beautiful, sunny Colorado afternoon to hit the pavement and talk to their neighbors about what's at stake in this election. Check out a couple of photos from the event!
On Sunday, State Senator Moe Keller joined us at the Jefferson County Campaign for Change Headquarters to lead a women's health discussion and kick off a Women's Walk canvass. The event was held in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We took the opportunity to highlight Senator Obama's strong support for research to find cures and treatments for breast cancer and other diseases affecting women, as well as the many other ways his health care proposals will positively impact women's health and well-being.
We were lucky to have Senator Keller, who has served the residents of Jefferson County for over 20 years in elected office, leading the discussion. She has been strong advocate in the Colorado legislature for women's health, mental health and many other critical issues.
She explained some of the stark contrasts between the health care plans of Senator Obama and Senator McCain and answered important questions raised by the women in attendance. She also let us in on her own personal canvassing tips!
Coincidentally, Senator Obama published an Op-Ed in The Denver Post that same morning entitled "Health care a right for all Americans," in which he mentioned his own mother's battle with ovarian cancer. You can read it by clicking here.
After the discussion, our field organizer Andrea led a canvass training and the women set out on a beautiful, sunny Colorado afternoon to hit the pavement and talk to their neighbors about what's at stake in this election.
Check out a couple of photos from the event!
We wanted to share this letter written by Suzanne Brown-McBride, Executive Director of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Thank you, Suzanne, for sharing your personal insights with us.
Dear Friends,Like many of you, I am watching this election closely. I am reading the news, keeping up with the blogs, watching the debates and talking with friends and colleagues about what I think will be one of the most important election decisions in a generation. With that in mind, I wanted to take a moment to talk to you - person to person - about an issue that is important to me this election year. I wasn't asked by anyone to write this letter, and I am speaking simply from my perspective and personal experience.I have been an anti-rape activist for most of my life. Seventeen years ago, I began volunteering at a community based rape crisis program in Oregon. I answered the crisis line, accompanied victims to the hospital for post-rape examinations and I stayed with them through legal and criminal proceedings. Back then, we operated on less than a shoe string; our agency's annual budget was less than $7,000 a year. We did the best we could, and I proud to say that we made a difference in the lives of the women and men that we served. At the same time, there was a sea of needs that we couldn't meet with our all-volunteer staff.Our city was starting to take sexual and domestic violence seriously. Law enforcement wanted to include our advocates at their rookie trainings. Schools asked for our help to develop classes and training so that kids knew where to turn for help when they were being sexually or physically abused. Churches and community groups wanted our guidance on how they could work to make our community safe. It was frustrating and heartbreaking to watch these opportunities slip away because our little organization didn't have the people, resources or infrastructure to meet the demand for our skills and expertise. In fact, we didn't even have an office.Then, in 1994, our world changed. In Washington DC, congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), one of the most important pieces of legislation in our modern history to address sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking. Written with anti-violence organizations, advocated for by anti-rape and anti-battering activists, VAWA finally directed resources to organizations like mine to support our work for, and on behalf of, victims.And not just my organization. VAWA directed funds to battered women's shelters, tribal community organizations, rape crisis programs, campus safety programs, violence prevention programs and law enforcement agencies. When it was later reauthorized, it also included assistance for victims of human trafficking and modern day slavery. No other single piece of legislation has been more important to my work as an anti-rape activist, or the work that thousands of men and women like me across the United States.So what does this have to do with the election? Let me tell you who the primary author and champion of the Violence Against Women Act was: Joe Biden.Joe Biden stood up for raped and battered women when it didn't occur many others to do so. Joe Biden championed this legislation every step of the way. Joe Biden demanded that the United States do more for raped and battered women, children and men. And Joe Biden made it happen.Joe Biden didn't walk away after that initial victory. He may have initially passed legislation during a Democratic administration, but he demonstrated effective and powerful bipartisan cooperation with leaders like Orin Hatch to make sure that the bill was reauthorized during a Republican administration. He helped make violence against women more than a partisan issue, he made it a human issue.As a Champion of VAWA, Joe Biden became a friend to my work, and has stayed a friend ever since. While he was in the Illinois Senate, and when he joined Joe Biden in our federal Senate, Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation to assist victims of sexual assault - including co-sponsoring VAWA. While there is still much to do to make sure that the silent, violent epidemic of rape and battering are forever eradicated here in the US, VAWA was a watershed moment in our fight.Conversely, and tragically, Senator John McCain twice voted against VAWA. In doing so, Sen. McCain twice choose to deny victims of battery and brutality the services that they deserve in the aftermath of violence.I hope that as you consider your choice in this year's election that you keep victims of violence in mind. I hope that you look carefully at the records of each candidate who is running for office and ask yourself "who has made a difference in the lives of the women, children and men who are victimized in my community?". I can't answer that for all of the candidates that you are considering in November, but I can tell you with great confidence about one candidate that has changed every jurisdiction in this country with his leadership: Joe Biden.
Dear Friends,
Like many of you, I am watching this election closely. I am reading the news, keeping up with the blogs, watching the debates and talking with friends and colleagues about what I think will be one of the most important election decisions in a generation. With that in mind, I wanted to take a moment to talk to you - person to person - about an issue that is important to me this election year. I wasn't asked by anyone to write this letter, and I am speaking simply from my perspective and personal experience.
I have been an anti-rape activist for most of my life. Seventeen years ago, I began volunteering at a community based rape crisis program in Oregon. I answered the crisis line, accompanied victims to the hospital for post-rape examinations and I stayed with them through legal and criminal proceedings. Back then, we operated on less than a shoe string; our agency's annual budget was less than $7,000 a year. We did the best we could, and I proud to say that we made a difference in the lives of the women and men that we served. At the same time, there was a sea of needs that we couldn't meet with our all-volunteer staff.
Our city was starting to take sexual and domestic violence seriously. Law enforcement wanted to include our advocates at their rookie trainings. Schools asked for our help to develop classes and training so that kids knew where to turn for help when they were being sexually or physically abused. Churches and community groups wanted our guidance on how they could work to make our community safe. It was frustrating and heartbreaking to watch these opportunities slip away because our little organization didn't have the people, resources or infrastructure to meet the demand for our skills and expertise. In fact, we didn't even have an office.
Then, in 1994, our world changed. In Washington DC, congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), one of the most important pieces of legislation in our modern history to address sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking. Written with anti-violence organizations, advocated for by anti-rape and anti-battering activists, VAWA finally directed resources to organizations like mine to support our work for, and on behalf of, victims.
And not just my organization. VAWA directed funds to battered women's shelters, tribal community organizations, rape crisis programs, campus safety programs, violence prevention programs and law enforcement agencies. When it was later reauthorized, it also included assistance for victims of human trafficking and modern day slavery. No other single piece of legislation has been more important to my work as an anti-rape activist, or the work that thousands of men and women like me across the United States.
So what does this have to do with the election? Let me tell you who the primary author and champion of the Violence Against Women Act was: Joe Biden.
Joe Biden stood up for raped and battered women when it didn't occur many others to do so. Joe Biden championed this legislation every step of the way. Joe Biden demanded that the United States do more for raped and battered women, children and men. And Joe Biden made it happen.
Joe Biden didn't walk away after that initial victory. He may have initially passed legislation during a Democratic administration, but he demonstrated effective and powerful bipartisan cooperation with leaders like Orin Hatch to make sure that the bill was reauthorized during a Republican administration. He helped make violence against women more than a partisan issue, he made it a human issue.
As a Champion of VAWA, Joe Biden became a friend to my work, and has stayed a friend ever since. While he was in the Illinois Senate, and when he joined Joe Biden in our federal Senate, Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation to assist victims of sexual assault - including co-sponsoring VAWA. While there is still much to do to make sure that the silent, violent epidemic of rape and battering are forever eradicated here in the US, VAWA was a watershed moment in our fight.
Conversely, and tragically, Senator John McCain twice voted against VAWA. In doing so, Sen. McCain twice choose to deny victims of battery and brutality the services that they deserve in the aftermath of violence.
I hope that as you consider your choice in this year's election that you keep victims of violence in mind. I hope that you look carefully at the records of each candidate who is running for office and ask yourself "who has made a difference in the lives of the women, children and men who are victimized in my community?". I can't answer that for all of the candidates that you are considering in November, but I can tell you with great confidence about one candidate that has changed every jurisdiction in this country with his leadership: Joe Biden.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 6, 2008
EXCERPTS: Hillary Clinton Discusses What's at Stake for Women in the 2008 Election at 8th Annual Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee Luncheon
The following are excerpts from Hillary Clinton’s remarks this afternoon to the 8th Annual Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee Luncheon in New York, NY.
“I come today with a very clear, unequivocal message. We are facing extremely difficult times in New York and America. It will be challenging for our nation and our state to navigate through these unchartered waters. We will need leaders who will understand what it takes to reassert our economic stability, create new jobs while at the same time remembering those who are most likely to be left out and left behind.“I am absolutely positive with every fiber of my being that we must elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden to be our President and Vice President on November 4. “As a woman, as a lifelong advocate for women, children and families, as a New Yorker, as a Senator and as an American, this is not even a close choice. This must be approached with the same level of commitment and intensity that we have ever seen by any campaign and by any citizen movement. Because we cannot afford the same failed policies for the next four years that we have endured for the last eight years. “Especially for women, we have a lot riding on this election. Whether it is equal pay for equal work - something which I have fought for my entire life and during my time in the Senate. Barack Obama is for it. John McCain is against it. “Whether it is having control and choice over the most intimate and personal decisions in our lives. Barack Obama is for it. John McCain is against it. “Whether it is expanding Family and Medical Leave so that more people – men and women – can balance family and work in those difficult times when you’re under so much pressure. It needs to be expanded and protected. Barack Obama is for it. John McCain is against it. “Whether it is universal health care. Quality, affordable health care for every single American. Barack Obama is for it and John McCain is against it. “And whether it is a Supreme Court that will protect our rights and side with people who are disadvantaged who are disempowered or not. Barack Obama will appoint justices who will get back on the side of the constitution and our people and John McCain will not. “Clearly, in a time of such serious economic consequences we see the difference in the economic philosophies between Barack Obama and the Democrats, and John McCain and the Republicans. We have had nine straight months of job losses. Costs are going up for average families while wages are stagnant. We know women face economic challenges often first and more personally. Anxiety about paying for gas and groceries and retirement and paying for healthcare bills and keeping up with the mortgage. Small businesses are struggling today. Hardworking men and women are wondering what happened to them.”“Now, Eleanor Roosevelt is a good person to channel these days and to think through another time when Democrats again came to the rescue. It seems that Democrats are always rescuing America from profligate Republican policies. “To paraphrase one of my favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quotes: ‘a woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until she’s in hot water.’ Well, the same is true for America. We’re in hot water. But we will with the right leadership show strength and resolve. We will roll up our sleeves and get to work. But the only way we will find our way forward is by electing a President and Vice President who understand what’s at stake, who share the values that America represents here at home and around the world that will come with solutions that work. “We need a fresh start, and the Obama-Biden Administration will provide that. America can rise again as we have before from the ashes of the Bushes. And get back on a confident and optimistic path into the future. “The biggest risk for America is four more years of the last eight years. It is the economy and the last thing I want and I hope you agree is to put mavericks in charge of the United States economy at this moment of need. Mavericks in Washington and on Wall Street got us into this mess. Let’s have some adult supervision again and pull ourselves out of it. “I have been all over this country on behalf of the Obama campaign - from Florida to Ohio to New Mexico to California with the same message: that it is time for us to unite. “Not just Democrats and Independents and even repented Republicans, who recognize the stakes of this election are too high for politics as usual. “As I have said many times, No way. No how. No McCain. No Palin. That is not the path that we need to be taking. This is a fight for our future and it is a fight we must win. I have done over 40 events for Barack Obama and at every one I see people moving toward us, making up their minds. “Barack and I may have started on different paths, but we are on the same journey now, and it is a journey to return Democratic leadership to the White House and to America at a time it is desperately needed. “I am hoping under Chuck Schumer’s leadership we will obtain a filibuster-proof Senate which I think is in the realm of the possible. Chuck and I were in LA Friday night raising money for these great Senate candidates we have across our country. I hope we return all of our Democratic incumbents in the House, which I suspect we will, and add to their numbers which I believe we can. “As November 4 approaches, more and more people will be making up their minds to get on the right side of history. The side with the America we believe in, the values we hold dear, that can-do spirit that is unafraid to look reality - no matter how harsh it is - in the face and determine that we can move forward. So I’m hoping that especially those of you who especially worked so hard for me will work as hard if not harder this next month on behalf of our Presidential ticket, Senate candidates and House candidates, and all of the candidates across New York.”
“I come today with a very clear, unequivocal message. We are facing extremely difficult times in New York and America. It will be challenging for our nation and our state to navigate through these unchartered waters. We will need leaders who will understand what it takes to reassert our economic stability, create new jobs while at the same time remembering those who are most likely to be left out and left behind.
“I am absolutely positive with every fiber of my being that we must elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden to be our President and Vice President on November 4. “As a woman, as a lifelong advocate for women, children and families, as a New Yorker, as a Senator and as an American, this is not even a close choice. This must be approached with the same level of commitment and intensity that we have ever seen by any campaign and by any citizen movement. Because we cannot afford the same failed policies for the next four years that we have endured for the last eight years. “Especially for women, we have a lot riding on this election. Whether it is equal pay for equal work - something which I have fought for my entire life and during my time in the Senate. Barack Obama is for it. John McCain is against it. “Whether it is having control and choice over the most intimate and personal decisions in our lives. Barack Obama is for it. John McCain is against it. “Whether it is expanding Family and Medical Leave so that more people – men and women – can balance family and work in those difficult times when you’re under so much pressure. It needs to be expanded and protected. Barack Obama is for it. John McCain is against it. “Whether it is universal health care. Quality, affordable health care for every single American. Barack Obama is for it and John McCain is against it. “And whether it is a Supreme Court that will protect our rights and side with people who are disadvantaged who are disempowered or not. Barack Obama will appoint justices who will get back on the side of the constitution and our people and John McCain will not. “Clearly, in a time of such serious economic consequences we see the difference in the economic philosophies between Barack Obama and the Democrats, and John McCain and the Republicans. We have had nine straight months of job losses. Costs are going up for average families while wages are stagnant. We know women face economic challenges often first and more personally. Anxiety about paying for gas and groceries and retirement and paying for healthcare bills and keeping up with the mortgage. Small businesses are struggling today. Hardworking men and women are wondering what happened to them.”
“Now, Eleanor Roosevelt is a good person to channel these days and to think through another time when Democrats again came to the rescue. It seems that Democrats are always rescuing America from profligate Republican policies. “To paraphrase one of my favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quotes: ‘a woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until she’s in hot water.’ Well, the same is true for America. We’re in hot water. But we will with the right leadership show strength and resolve. We will roll up our sleeves and get to work. But the only way we will find our way forward is by electing a President and Vice President who understand what’s at stake, who share the values that America represents here at home and around the world that will come with solutions that work. “We need a fresh start, and the Obama-Biden Administration will provide that. America can rise again as we have before from the ashes of the Bushes. And get back on a confident and optimistic path into the future. “The biggest risk for America is four more years of the last eight years. It is the economy and the last thing I want and I hope you agree is to put mavericks in charge of the United States economy at this moment of need. Mavericks in Washington and on Wall Street got us into this mess. Let’s have some adult supervision again and pull ourselves out of it. “I have been all over this country on behalf of the Obama campaign - from Florida to Ohio to New Mexico to California with the same message: that it is time for us to unite.
“Not just Democrats and Independents and even repented Republicans, who recognize the stakes of this election are too high for politics as usual.
“As I have said many times, No way. No how. No McCain. No Palin. That is not the path that we need to be taking. This is a fight for our future and it is a fight we must win. I have done over 40 events for Barack Obama and at every one I see people moving toward us, making up their minds. “Barack and I may have started on different paths, but we are on the same journey now, and it is a journey to return Democratic leadership to the White House and to America at a time it is desperately needed. “I am hoping under Chuck Schumer’s leadership we will obtain a filibuster-proof Senate which I think is in the realm of the possible. Chuck and I were in LA Friday night raising money for these great Senate candidates we have across our country. I hope we return all of our Democratic incumbents in the House, which I suspect we will, and add to their numbers which I believe we can. “As November 4 approaches, more and more people will be making up their minds to get on the right side of history. The side with the America we believe in, the values we hold dear, that can-do spirit that is unafraid to look reality - no matter how harsh it is - in the face and determine that we can move forward. So I’m hoping that especially those of you who especially worked so hard for me will work as hard if not harder this next month on behalf of our Presidential ticket, Senate candidates and House candidates, and all of the candidates across New York.”
FEMINIST NEWSPAPER ENDORSES OBAMA-BIDEN TICKET
St. Paul, MN
September 29, 2008
In its October 1 issue, on newsstands Tuesday, the Minnesota Women’s Press (MWP), one of the longest-running women’s newspapers in the country and perhaps the only feminist newspaper of its kind, makes only the second endorsement in its 24 year history: Barack Obama for President and Joe Biden for Vice President of the United States. Why would a newspaper that champions the election of women turn its back on a ticket with a female vice presidential candidate? MWP’s history has been one of building community and empowering and honoring women. Not surprisingly, the publication is a champion of getting more women in elected office, and supports women who would build the best future for America’s daughters and sons. But some are hearing that because the vice presidential candidate is a woman, many American women will automatically vote for Palin. The MWP believes that gender alone is not good enough. “Today’s stakes are too high to endorse or support a candidate based on one ciriteria,” says Kathy Magnuson, co-publisher of the MWP. “It is critical that the politicians who lead us be supportive of the issues that most effect the lives of women and children. We believe that is Obama and Biden.” “Many American women are tired of the ongoing rhetoric about lipstick, hockey and moose hunting. We need to move on to the real issues that deeply affect American lives, women’s lives, children’s lives and families’ lives every day…and will for the next four years.” Magnuson says, “We choose to vision a world of hope - enough hope, empowerment and justice to go around for everyone. We endorse Barack Obama for President of the United States.” The Minnesota Women’s Press www.womenspress.com is an independently owned, bi-weekly publication and distributed to more than 550 locations in the Twin Cities and around the state. MWP’s target audience is women who are progressives and activists, and who want to make a difference in the world and in their lives. They are interested in education, health, reading, spirituality, environmental issues, and peace in their world, their communities and their families.
In its October 1 issue, on newsstands Tuesday, the Minnesota Women’s Press (MWP), one of the longest-running women’s newspapers in the country and perhaps the only feminist newspaper of its kind, makes only the second endorsement in its 24 year history: Barack Obama for President and Joe Biden for Vice President of the United States.
Why would a newspaper that champions the election of women turn its back on a ticket with a female vice presidential candidate?
MWP’s history has been one of building community and empowering and honoring women. Not surprisingly, the publication is a champion of getting more women in elected office, and supports women who would build the best future for America’s daughters and sons. But some are hearing that because the vice presidential candidate is a woman, many American women will automatically vote for Palin. The MWP believes that gender alone is not good enough.
“Today’s stakes are too high to endorse or support a candidate based on one ciriteria,” says Kathy Magnuson, co-publisher of the MWP. “It is critical that the politicians who lead us be supportive of the issues that most effect the lives of women and children. We believe that is Obama and Biden.”
“Many American women are tired of the ongoing rhetoric about lipstick, hockey and moose hunting. We need to move on to the real issues that deeply affect American lives, women’s lives, children’s lives and families’ lives every day…and will for the next four years.”
Magnuson says, “We choose to vision a world of hope - enough hope, empowerment and justice to go around for everyone. We endorse Barack Obama for President of the United States.”
The Minnesota Women’s Press www.womenspress.com is an independently owned, bi-weekly publication and distributed to more than 550 locations in the Twin Cities and around the state. MWP’s target audience is women who are progressives and activists, and who want to make a difference in the world and in their lives. They are interested in education, health, reading, spirituality, environmental issues, and peace in their world, their communities and their families.
What Michelle Obama Would Bring to the White House
By Curtis Sittenfeld
September 27, 2008
Michelle Obama is tall, smart, funny, relaxed and basically so glowy and poised — if she's attractive in pictures, she's flat-out gorgeous in person — that it almost seems as if she already is the First Lady. Or at least this is the conclusion I came to after sitting down with her at Denver's Westin Tabor Center during the Democratic National Convention. I'd been tagging after her for a couple of days, from one rapturous audience to another, including the crowd at a community-service event for soldiers, at which an Iraq-war veteran introduced her by announcing, "Ma'am, I know you weren't in the military, but I'd follow you anywhere." If all that hadn't quite convinced me (it was the Democratic Convention, after all), I'd guess it took roughly the first 30 seconds of our interview for me to fall for her. It happened when I asked whether she gets bored giving the same speech over and over, and she cheerfully replied, "Yeah, absolutely." It had never been that I didn't like Michelle Obama. (Full disclosure: I voted for Hillary Clinton in Missouri's Democratic primary.) But after writing a novel about a First Lady based loosely on Laura Bush, I saw Michelle as, well, controversial. Back in June, when she made a visit to The View to talk about policy issues such as panty hose (in case you missed the episode, she's con), the appearance was widely considered part of a charm offensive intended to rehabilitate an image damaged by, among other things, the now infamous remark she'd made during a speech a few months before: "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." I also knew that some people found Michelle to be variously "mean," "uppity" and "radical" — not me, mind you, but people. Plus, this very magazine had asked on its cover in June, "Will Michelle Obama Hurt Barack in November?" To be sure, there are Americans who will never vote for Barack Obama — and by extension are unlikely to be fans of his wife — because he's black. There are also those who'll never vote for him because he's a Democrat. But are there people who would vote for him but who have been put off by Michelle? Perhaps, but I've encountered more people who, if anything, seem more infatuated by Michelle than by her husband — including the white woman I know who bought her first-ever issue of Ebony magazine because Michelle was on the cover, and the cameraman I met in Denver who finagled a fist bump with Michelle and then proclaimed that he would never wash his hands again. He assured me he was usually jaded in these kinds of situations, but Michelle was the second coming of Jackie O.! During our interview, I asked Michelle what accounts for the discrepancy between the admiration she inspires among such voters and the kind of blogosphere and talk-radio slurs that prompted the New Yorker, even if in jest, to run its notorious cover cartoon of her standing with her husband in the Oval Office, sporting an Afro and an AK-47. "I've realized that there are two conversations that go on," she said. "There's one at the punditry level — the polls, the writers, the folks in the know, they have one set of conversations — and then there's what's happening on the ground. Early on, I learned to base my reactions on what I see on the ground, because that to me is a more accurate reflection — even, as it turned out, in the primary. If you read the papers, you wouldn't have predicted the outcome of Iowa. But if you were in Iowa, you could feel the clear possibility of what the outcome would be."
Michelle Obama is tall, smart, funny, relaxed and basically so glowy and poised — if she's attractive in pictures, she's flat-out gorgeous in person — that it almost seems as if she already is the First Lady.
Or at least this is the conclusion I came to after sitting down with her at Denver's Westin Tabor Center during the Democratic National Convention. I'd been tagging after her for a couple of days, from one rapturous audience to another, including the crowd at a community-service event for soldiers, at which an Iraq-war veteran introduced her by announcing, "Ma'am, I know you weren't in the military, but I'd follow you anywhere." If all that hadn't quite convinced me (it was the Democratic Convention, after all), I'd guess it took roughly the first 30 seconds of our interview for me to fall for her. It happened when I asked whether she gets bored giving the same speech over and over, and she cheerfully replied, "Yeah, absolutely."
It had never been that I didn't like Michelle Obama. (Full disclosure: I voted for Hillary Clinton in Missouri's Democratic primary.) But after writing a novel about a First Lady based loosely on Laura Bush, I saw Michelle as, well, controversial. Back in June, when she made a visit to The View to talk about policy issues such as panty hose (in case you missed the episode, she's con), the appearance was widely considered part of a charm offensive intended to rehabilitate an image damaged by, among other things, the now infamous remark she'd made during a speech a few months before: "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." I also knew that some people found Michelle to be variously "mean," "uppity" and "radical" — not me, mind you, but people. Plus, this very magazine had asked on its cover in June, "Will Michelle Obama Hurt Barack in November?"
To be sure, there are Americans who will never vote for Barack Obama — and by extension are unlikely to be fans of his wife — because he's black. There are also those who'll never vote for him because he's a Democrat. But are there people who would vote for him but who have been put off by Michelle?
Perhaps, but I've encountered more people who, if anything, seem more infatuated by Michelle than by her husband — including the white woman I know who bought her first-ever issue of Ebony magazine because Michelle was on the cover, and the cameraman I met in Denver who finagled a fist bump with Michelle and then proclaimed that he would never wash his hands again. He assured me he was usually jaded in these kinds of situations, but Michelle was the second coming of Jackie O.!
During our interview, I asked Michelle what accounts for the discrepancy between the admiration she inspires among such voters and the kind of blogosphere and talk-radio slurs that prompted the New Yorker, even if in jest, to run its notorious cover cartoon of her standing with her husband in the Oval Office, sporting an Afro and an AK-47. "I've realized that there are two conversations that go on," she said. "There's one at the punditry level — the polls, the writers, the folks in the know, they have one set of conversations — and then there's what's happening on the ground. Early on, I learned to base my reactions on what I see on the ground, because that to me is a more accurate reflection — even, as it turned out, in the primary. If you read the papers, you wouldn't have predicted the outcome of Iowa. But if you were in Iowa, you could feel the clear possibility of what the outcome would be."
Sen. Joe Biden was always the "leader of the pack," his younger sister said — not because he was a bully, but because he had a gift for inspiring people."He was always encouraging, always saying, 'Go ahead, just try it,' and other kids looked up to him for that," Valerie Biden Owens said. "They were drawn to him, and they followed him."But Owens said her brother, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, also was left out at times and ridiculed because he stuttered."There was a time he couldn't string four words together," she said. "Nobody likes to be laughed at. But that experience created a deep sense of compassion within Joe, and to this day when he walks into a room, he automatically gravitates to the person standing in the corner and tries to engage them. He knows what it's like, and he doesn't want anyone to ever feel the way he did."Owens made a brief stop in Lancaster on Thursday morning, meeting Mayor Rick Gray and City Council members for coffee at Square One on North Duke Street.For the first time since Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate, she is not her brother's campaign manager. Instead, she has hit the campaign trail, stumping up and down the East Coast for Biden and Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama.Owens, who is three years younger than the 65-year-old senator, spoke at length Thursday about the tight-knit Biden family, of which she is the only sister. .... At times Thursday morning, the coffee-table conversation touched on issues such as health care reform, education and the economy. Local officials, including Gray, also expressed their concern about middle America."I think if there's anything you can take back (to the candidates), it's bring government back home," Gray said. "We're continually seeing block grants cut. … The federal government just isn't there to help. They can give billions to Wall Street but nothing to Main Street. They've forgotten about the average person."Which is exactly why the country needs someone like Biden, Owens said."My brother doesn't forget his roots; he doesn't forget where he came from," Owens said of their modest upbringing in Scranton and Castle County, Delaware."He's a great brother, a loving husband, a dedicated father and a loyal friend."
"He was always encouraging, always saying, 'Go ahead, just try it,' and other kids looked up to him for that," Valerie Biden Owens said. "They were drawn to him, and they followed him."
But Owens said her brother, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, also was left out at times and ridiculed because he stuttered.
"There was a time he couldn't string four words together," she said. "Nobody likes to be laughed at. But that experience created a deep sense of compassion within Joe, and to this day when he walks into a room, he automatically gravitates to the person standing in the corner and tries to engage them. He knows what it's like, and he doesn't want anyone to ever feel the way he did."
Owens made a brief stop in Lancaster on Thursday morning, meeting Mayor Rick Gray and City Council members for coffee at Square One on North Duke Street.
For the first time since Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate, she is not her brother's campaign manager. Instead, she has hit the campaign trail, stumping up and down the East Coast for Biden and Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama.
Owens, who is three years younger than the 65-year-old senator, spoke at length Thursday about the tight-knit Biden family, of which she is the only sister.
....
At times Thursday morning, the coffee-table conversation touched on issues such as health care reform, education and the economy. Local officials, including Gray, also expressed their concern about middle America.
"I think if there's anything you can take back (to the candidates), it's bring government back home," Gray said. "We're continually seeing block grants cut. … The federal government just isn't there to help. They can give billions to Wall Street but nothing to Main Street. They've forgotten about the average person."
Which is exactly why the country needs someone like Biden, Owens said.
"My brother doesn't forget his roots; he doesn't forget where he came from," Owens said of their modest upbringing in Scranton and Castle County, Delaware.
"He's a great brother, a loving husband, a dedicated father and a loyal friend."
Click here to read the entire article..
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama—as prepared for delivery
Senator Obama's Plan To Protect Taxpayers and Homeowners
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Tampa, Florida
Yesterday, the President said that Congress should pass his proposal to ease the crisis on Wall Street without significant changes or improvements. Now, there are many to blame for causing the current crisis, starting with the speculators who gamed the system and the regulators who looked the other way. But all of us now have a stake in solving it and saving our financial institutions from collapse. Because if we don’t, the jobs and life savings of millions will be put at risk.Given that fact, the President’s stubborn inflexibility is both unacceptable and disturbingly familiar. This is not the time for my-way-or-the-highway intransigence from anyone involved. It’s not the time for fear or panic. It’s the time for resolve, responsibility, and reasonableness. And it is wholly unreasonable to expect that American taxpayers would or should hand this Administration or any Administration a $700 billion blank check with absolutely no oversight or conditions when a lack of oversight in Washington and on Wall Street is exactly what got us into this mess. Now that the American people are being called upon to finance this solution, the American people have the right to certain protections and assurances from Washington. First, the plan must include protections to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to further reward the bad behavior of irresponsible CEOs on Wall Street. There has been talk that some CEOs may refuse to cooperate with this plan if they have to forgo multi-million-dollar salaries. I cannot imagine a position more selfish and greedy at a time of national crisis. And I would like to speak directly to those CEOs right now: Do not make that mistake. You are stewards for workers and communities all across our country who have put their trust in you. With the enormous rewards you have reaped come responsibilities, and we expect and demand that you to live up to them. This plan cannot be a welfare program for Wall Street executives. Second, the power to spend $700 billion of taxpayer money cannot be left to the discretion of one man, no matter who he is or which party he is from. I have great respect for Secretary Paulson, but he cannot act alone. We should set up an independent board that includes some of the most respected figures in our country, chosen by Democrats and Republicans, to provide oversight and accountability at every step of the way. I am heartened that Secretary Paulson appeared to be softening on this position in his testimony this morning.
Yesterday, the President said that Congress should pass his proposal to ease the crisis on Wall Street without significant changes or improvements.
Now, there are many to blame for causing the current crisis, starting with the speculators who gamed the system and the regulators who looked the other way. But all of us now have a stake in solving it and saving our financial institutions from collapse. Because if we don’t, the jobs and life savings of millions will be put at risk.
Given that fact, the President’s stubborn inflexibility is both unacceptable and disturbingly familiar. This is not the time for my-way-or-the-highway intransigence from anyone involved. It’s not the time for fear or panic. It’s the time for resolve, responsibility, and reasonableness.
And it is wholly unreasonable to expect that American taxpayers would or should hand this Administration or any Administration a $700 billion blank check with absolutely no oversight or conditions when a lack of oversight in Washington and on Wall Street is exactly what got us into this mess.
Now that the American people are being called upon to finance this solution, the American people have the right to certain protections and assurances from Washington.
First, the plan must include protections to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to further reward the bad behavior of irresponsible CEOs on Wall Street. There has been talk that some CEOs may refuse to cooperate with this plan if they have to forgo multi-million-dollar salaries. I cannot imagine a position more selfish and greedy at a time of national crisis. And I would like to speak directly to those CEOs right now: Do not make that mistake. You are stewards for workers and communities all across our country who have put their trust in you. With the enormous rewards you have reaped come responsibilities, and we expect and demand that you to live up to them. This plan cannot be a welfare program for Wall Street executives.
Second, the power to spend $700 billion of taxpayer money cannot be left to the discretion of one man, no matter who he is or which party he is from. I have great respect for Secretary Paulson, but he cannot act alone. We should set up an independent board that includes some of the most respected figures in our country, chosen by Democrats and Republicans, to provide oversight and accountability at every step of the way. I am heartened that Secretary Paulson appeared to be softening on this position in his testimony this morning.
Sebelius stumps for Obama by Josh Boatwright
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius linked the current stock market crisis to policies backed by Sen. John McCain during a campaign event for Sen. Barack Obama at a North Asheville coffee shop on Friday.The popular Democratic governor spoke to a crowd of more than 100 just after noon at Mountain Java on Merrimon Avenue, the first of two stops in the state aimed rallying women voters in the presidential campaign. Sebelius told enthusiastic supporters that GOP candidate McCain has vowed to sustain failed policies contributed to the nation’s economic turmoil, while Obama advocates regulations to reign in misbehavior on Wall Street. “It isn’t just a string of bad luck that produced the tumult that we see on Wall Street,” Sebelius said. “It’s a stream of bad policy and a stream of deregulation of the financial services industry.”Sebelius’ appearance was part of a larger push by the Obama campaign this week to shore up support among women in North Carolina. Sen. Joe Biden visited Charlotte on Sunday, while Michelle Obama spoke in Charlotte and Greensboro earlier this week. Barack Obama is scheduled to speak in Charlotte on Sunday. Sebelius said Obama would fight for equal pay for women and give tax breaks to middle-class families rather than large corporations. One event attendee said she didn’t believe Obama really cares about women voters. Kathy Skerl, a former Hillary Clinton supporter now backing McCain, held up a sign during Sebelius’ speech that read, “Sweetie is a code language for sexism,” a reference to Obama’s use of that term, she said. Local Obama volunteer Carmen Ramos-Kennedy said her candidate can win North Carolina.“It’s palpable to me that it’s winnable, and obviously, the campaign thinks North Carolina is in play,” she said.Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, said McCain still has the edge here. But given that no Democrat presidential candidate has won the state since 1976, “the fact that it’s in play is very good news for the Obama campaign,” he said.
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius linked the current stock market crisis to policies backed by Sen. John McCain during a campaign event for Sen. Barack Obama at a North Asheville coffee shop on Friday.
The popular Democratic governor spoke to a crowd of more than 100 just after noon at Mountain Java on Merrimon Avenue, the first of two stops in the state aimed rallying women voters in the presidential campaign.
Sebelius told enthusiastic supporters that GOP candidate McCain has vowed to sustain failed policies contributed to the nation’s economic turmoil, while Obama advocates regulations to reign in misbehavior on Wall Street.
“It isn’t just a string of bad luck that produced the tumult that we see on Wall Street,” Sebelius said. “It’s a stream of bad policy and a stream of deregulation of the financial services industry.”Sebelius’ appearance was part of a larger push by the Obama campaign this week to shore up support among women in North Carolina.
Sen. Joe Biden visited Charlotte on Sunday, while Michelle Obama spoke in Charlotte and Greensboro earlier this week. Barack Obama is scheduled to speak in Charlotte on Sunday.
Sebelius said Obama would fight for equal pay for women and give tax breaks to middle-class families rather than large corporations.
One event attendee said she didn’t believe Obama really cares about women voters. Kathy Skerl, a former Hillary Clinton supporter now backing McCain, held up a sign during Sebelius’ speech that read, “Sweetie is a code language for sexism,” a reference to Obama’s use of that term, she said.
Local Obama volunteer Carmen Ramos-Kennedy said her candidate can win North Carolina.
“It’s palpable to me that it’s winnable, and obviously, the campaign thinks North Carolina is in play,” she said.
Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, said McCain still has the edge here.
But given that no Democrat presidential candidate has won the state since 1976, “the fact that it’s in play is very good news for the Obama campaign,” he said.
I felt that I could not just keep hoping and praying every day that Barack Obama would be our next president but that I needed to do something, no matter how small. I was a little nervous about hosting a calling party but I can say that it was really a great time. We had a lite lunch first, then we viewed 2 introductory videos, and got started calling. We had so much fun sharing stories from the calls made. We're already planning a second party in a few weeks.
Her friend Karyn, who participated in the phonebank party, wrote...
This was the first time for most of the women and me to call or even volunteer for a political campaign. But we all talked about it and agreed we felt so strongly about this particular election that we needed to do something. Most of us were just a little shy about calling voters in battleground states, people that we didn't know and we were not sure about how they would respond ...As it turned out, we all agreed it was a very rewarding experience. We had a variety of responses, positive, negative, some surprises and several we had to leave messages for. Then we reconvened and shared our experiences. My best experience was that several hours later a voter whom I'd left a message for called me back and we had a great chat about why we both felt so strongly about supporting Barack Obama. Others talked with voters who didn't know they could vote early in Indiana and were very interested in doing so and still others who are interested in volunteering. A great time for us and we are planning to schedule another Women for Obama Calling Party again in October.
This was the first time for most of the women and me to call or even volunteer for a political campaign. But we all talked about it and agreed we felt so strongly about this particular election that we needed to do something. Most of us were just a little shy about calling voters in battleground states, people that we didn't know and we were not sure about how they would respond ...
As it turned out, we all agreed it was a very rewarding experience. We had a variety of responses, positive, negative, some surprises and several we had to leave messages for. Then we reconvened and shared our experiences. My best experience was that several hours later a voter whom I'd left a message for called me back and we had a great chat about why we both felt so strongly about supporting Barack Obama. Others talked with voters who didn't know they could vote early in Indiana and were very interested in doing so and still others who are interested in volunteering. A great time for us and we are planning to schedule another Women for Obama Calling Party again in October.
Here's a photo from their party...
You can host a phonebank party, too -- it's easy! Our team has built a tool called Neighbor to Neighbor that lets you tap into the power of this grassroots movement right from your home. Neighbor to Neighbor enables you to talk to other people about Barack Obama and his vision for the future of our country. You can call potential supporters in your state or in an important battleground state. Organize a phonebank party with a group of friends, like Diane did, and you may just be surprised by how much fun you'll have doing it together! As Joe Biden said yesterday: "it's all going to come down to what supporters like you do -- or don't do -- in these last 44 days." Thank you for all that you do.
Nancy Gilbert, a National Co-Chair of the National Women's Leadership Initiative, wrote in to give us this report on a recent women's fundraiser in Park City, UT. She is looking forward to attending the National Women's Leadership Issues Conference in Chicago on October 10-11, along with a great group of Utah women for Obama!
From a World-Cup Giant Slalom champion, to a national skeleton racer…from artists to film makers, homemakers, physicians, professors, attorneys, businesswomen, an organic farmer and a chocolate maker… grandmas, ma’s, daughters and sons… gathered on Sunday in Park City, Utah for a wildly successful National Women's Leadership Initiative (NWLI) fundraiser. “I had no idea that we could pull this together in just six days," said Joanna Charnes , one of the Utah State Co-Chairs for NWLI. “The event generated enormous enthusiastic momentum for us in Utah and we can carry it to other western states, “she said of the event where 150 people generated $150,000 in new Utah Obama contributions. One donation was a wad of eighteen dollar bills, given by teen Hanna Aaronson to her mother Debbie who exclaimed, “I’m making this donation in honor of my daughter who gave up her savings toward new shoes, in favor of helping to get a new President.”With a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains with the beginnings of gorgeous fall foliage, the group heard details of the upcoming Issues Conference in Chicago and got a full Obama-tax-plan briefing by Mark Gilbert, NFC member who sits on the Tax Committee. National Co-Chair from Utah, Kristi Cumming, who served as a super delegate to the convention, shared her experiences from Denver with the attentive crowd.To date, 23 Utah women will be participating in the National Women’s Leadership Issues Conference in Chicago on October 10-11 with Barack & Michelle Obama. Sign up today by clicking here.Thanks to Utah event chairs: Kristi Cumming, Nancy Gilbert, Joanna Charnes, Jill Sheinberg and Geralyn Dreyfous.
From a World-Cup Giant Slalom champion, to a national skeleton racer…from artists to film makers, homemakers, physicians, professors, attorneys, businesswomen, an organic farmer and a chocolate maker… grandmas, ma’s, daughters and sons… gathered on Sunday in Park City, Utah for a wildly successful National Women's Leadership Initiative (NWLI) fundraiser.
“I had no idea that we could pull this together in just six days," said Joanna Charnes , one of the Utah State Co-Chairs for NWLI. “The event generated enormous enthusiastic momentum for us in Utah and we can carry it to other western states, “she said of the event where 150 people generated $150,000 in new Utah Obama contributions. One donation was a wad of eighteen dollar bills, given by teen Hanna Aaronson to her mother Debbie who exclaimed, “I’m making this donation in honor of my daughter who gave up her savings toward new shoes, in favor of helping to get a new President.”
With a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains with the beginnings of gorgeous fall foliage, the group heard details of the upcoming Issues Conference in Chicago and got a full Obama-tax-plan briefing by Mark Gilbert, NFC member who sits on the Tax Committee. National Co-Chair from Utah, Kristi Cumming, who served as a super delegate to the convention, shared her experiences from Denver with the attentive crowd.
To date, 23 Utah women will be participating in the National Women’s Leadership Issues Conference in Chicago on October 10-11 with Barack & Michelle Obama. Sign up today by clicking here.
Thanks to Utah event chairs: Kristi Cumming, Nancy Gilbert, Joanna Charnes, Jill Sheinberg and Geralyn Dreyfous.
Women's rights groups endorse Obama for president
By ANN SANNER
September 17, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — Women's rights groups endorsed Barack Obama for president Tuesday, asserting the historic selection of a female Republican vice presidential candidate does not make up for John McCain's lack of support on issues important to women."We don't think it's much to break a glass ceiling for one woman and leave millions of women behind," said Eleanor Smeal, chairman of the Feminist Majority Political Action Committee.Smeal was among leaders from six organizations that announced their endorsement of the Democratic presidential nominee at a news conference.Obama also won the support of the National Organization for Women, which said it has not endorsed a candidate for president since Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro shared the Democratic ticket in 1984. Ferraro was the first female major-party vice presidential candidate.NOW backed New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primaries. "We join with her in saying 'no,'" said NOW President Kim Gandy, referring to a line Clinton used at the Democratic convention last month. "No way, no how, no McCain."...Obama was also endorsed by leaders from Business and Professional Women/USA, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Congress of Black Women and the Women's Information Network.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Women's rights groups endorsed Barack Obama for president Tuesday, asserting the historic selection of a female Republican vice presidential candidate does not make up for John McCain's lack of support on issues important to women.
"We don't think it's much to break a glass ceiling for one woman and leave millions of women behind," said Eleanor Smeal, chairman of the Feminist Majority Political Action Committee.
Smeal was among leaders from six organizations that announced their endorsement of the Democratic presidential nominee at a news conference.
Obama also won the support of the National Organization for Women, which said it has not endorsed a candidate for president since Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro shared the Democratic ticket in 1984. Ferraro was the first female major-party vice presidential candidate.
NOW backed New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primaries. "We join with her in saying 'no,'" said NOW President Kim Gandy, referring to a line Clinton used at the Democratic convention last month. "No way, no how, no McCain."
...
Obama was also endorsed by leaders from Business and Professional Women/USA, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Congress of Black Women and the Women's Information Network.
By Suzanne Charlé
Anita Decker, the North Dakota State Director for the Obama campaign has worked in politics since she graduated from the University of Arizona in 2000. Decker, 30, says she got “bitten by the bug” after she returned to her native Illinois and worked on the congressional campaign of Lane Evans, a longtime incumbent. Next came Rod Blagojevich’s successful bid for governor.
Decker met Obama in 2003, when he was gearing up his campaign for the U.S. Senate. At the time, Decker recalls, “it was hard to attract large crowds.” That, she says with a laugh, suddenly changed in July 2004: “I was hosting a meet-and-greet at my house, so friends could get to know Barack Obama. Only 30 people had r.s.v.p.’d.” Just before the party, the state senator from Illinois gave the keynote speech at the Democratic Convention. “We had to have the cops come to direct the traffic. Over 300 people showed up!”
What made you decide to join Barack Obama’s campaign in the first place?I’ve been working with Senator Obama since he first ran for the U.S. Senate. After he won, I went to work in the Senate office as the Downstate Director. I oversaw the 92 counties outside of Chicago, working with the staff, elected officials and overseeing outreach efforts. We met just when Obama decided to run for the Senate. I had worked as Downstate Field Director on Rod Blagojevich’s campaign for Governor of Illinois – he was the first Democrat to win in the state in 20-plus years. No one thought Barack Obama had a chance, but I was very impressed with what he had done in Chicago as an organizer and in the Illinois State Legislature. There, he had pushed through ethics reforms, sponsored bills to make sure that children got health care, and was able to work across the aisle with ease. All of these things, I believe, are very important.I’m also impressed with Senator Obama’s personal qualities: He’s very smart, and at the same time, very much a people-person. And he listens. To everyone. Sometimes at town hall meetings there would be protestors. He never walked right by them; he’d take time to talk with them, to hear their points of view, to invite them to participate. The first time I was traveling with him, a woman stopped him and started a ruckus. He stopped to talk with her for while. “She’s crazy,” I said to him. “We’re all a little crazy,” he replied.
What made you decide to join Barack Obama’s campaign in the first place?
I’ve been working with Senator Obama since he first ran for the U.S. Senate. After he won, I went to work in the Senate office as the Downstate Director. I oversaw the 92 counties outside of Chicago, working with the staff, elected officials and overseeing outreach efforts.
We met just when Obama decided to run for the Senate. I had worked as Downstate Field Director on Rod Blagojevich’s campaign for Governor of Illinois – he was the first Democrat to win in the state in 20-plus years. No one thought Barack Obama had a chance, but I was very impressed with what he had done in Chicago as an organizer and in the Illinois State Legislature. There, he had pushed through ethics reforms, sponsored bills to make sure that children got health care, and was able to work across the aisle with ease. All of these things, I believe, are very important.
I’m also impressed with Senator Obama’s personal qualities: He’s very smart, and at the same time, very much a people-person. And he listens. To everyone. Sometimes at town hall meetings there would be protestors. He never walked right by them; he’d take time to talk with them, to hear their points of view, to invite them to participate. The first time I was traveling with him, a woman stopped him and started a ruckus. He stopped to talk with her for while. “She’s crazy,” I said to him. “We’re all a little crazy,” he replied.
Why has the Obama campaign decided to focus on North Dakota – a state that has voted Republican in 24 out of 27 Presidential elections, and that only has three electoral votes, the minimum number a state can have? North Dakota is a conservative state – George Bush won over Kerry, 63 percent to 35 percent.But Senator Obama had a great win here in the caucuses – 62 percent. There are also three Democrats in the Congressional delegation: Sen. Kent Conrad, Sen. Byron Dorgan, and Rep. Earl Pomeroy. In fact Senator Conrad was one of the first national politicians to support Senator Obama in his campaign for the Presidency. All three enjoy extremely high approval ratings and are working hard on behalf of the Obama campaign. It’s clear from Senator Obama’s big win in the caucuses that the people of North Dakota are open to voting for him – they’re willing to listen. We are trying to expand the map here – to bring North Dakota into the Democratic column. There are various ways of getting 270 electoral votes, and one is to win many of the states with smaller electoral numbers that can be changed from Republican to Democrat.We’ll soon have 11 offices open, with a very sizeable staff. We are here to talk to North Dakotans about the importance of this election and invite them to get involved in the process. John McCain has no paid staff here, and no offices. In the past, the Democrats didn’t pay much attention to North Dakota in Presidential elections – John Kerry only had one staffer here.
Why has the Obama campaign decided to focus on North Dakota – a state that has voted Republican in 24 out of 27 Presidential elections, and that only has three electoral votes, the minimum number a state can have?
North Dakota is a conservative state – George Bush won over Kerry, 63 percent to 35 percent.
But Senator Obama had a great win here in the caucuses – 62 percent. There are also three Democrats in the Congressional delegation: Sen. Kent Conrad, Sen. Byron Dorgan, and Rep. Earl Pomeroy. In fact Senator Conrad was one of the first national politicians to support Senator Obama in his campaign for the Presidency. All three enjoy extremely high approval ratings and are working hard on behalf of the Obama campaign.
It’s clear from Senator Obama’s big win in the caucuses that the people of North Dakota are open to voting for him – they’re willing to listen.
We are trying to expand the map here – to bring North Dakota into the Democratic column. There are various ways of getting 270 electoral votes, and one is to win many of the states with smaller electoral numbers that can be changed from Republican to Democrat.
We’ll soon have 11 offices open, with a very sizeable staff. We are here to talk to North Dakotans about the importance of this election and invite them to get involved in the process. John McCain has no paid staff here, and no offices. In the past, the Democrats didn’t pay much attention to North Dakota in Presidential elections – John Kerry only had one staffer here.
How does this campaign differ from others?This campaign is very different: It’s extremely grassroots based. During the primary, people opened their homes to volunteers. When I was in Pennsylvania I stayed with a family for over six weeks. The family that I lived with in Missouri considered the experience so positive that they started to call and recruit family and friends to take in other staffers who needed homes. I have made some deep friendships with these families – all of which I treasure. Here in North Dakota, we’re giving people a chance to be involved with the process of selecting a President. Senator Obama has visited the state two times since April. Local volunteers are getting involved, and they’re coming in to the offices and calling their neighbors and friends, to give them more information about Senator Obama and his platform.
How does this campaign differ from others?
This campaign is very different: It’s extremely grassroots based. During the primary, people opened their homes to volunteers. When I was in Pennsylvania I stayed with a family for over six weeks. The family that I lived with in Missouri considered the experience so positive that they started to call and recruit family and friends to take in other staffers who needed homes. I have made some deep friendships with these families – all of which I treasure.
Here in North Dakota, we’re giving people a chance to be involved with the process of selecting a President. Senator Obama has visited the state two times since April. Local volunteers are getting involved, and they’re coming in to the offices and calling their neighbors and friends, to give them more information about Senator Obama and his platform.
What has been the response to the Republicans putting a woman on the ticket? I think there was widespread shock. People don’t know who Sarah Palin is, or why she should be on a national ticket. Women who had supported Hillary Clinton particularly aren’t impressed, and are solidly behind Senator Obama. Cheryl Bergian, who ran for the Public Service Commission and who had supported Hillary, made it very clear: This election is too important to sit out, and that everyone who had supported Clinton should get involved in the Obama campaign. After the convention in Denver, everyone came back energized and ready to be on one team.
What has been the response to the Republicans putting a woman on the ticket?
I think there was widespread shock. People don’t know who Sarah Palin is, or why she should be on a national ticket.
Women who had supported Hillary Clinton particularly aren’t impressed, and are solidly behind Senator Obama. Cheryl Bergian, who ran for the Public Service Commission and who had supported Hillary, made it very clear: This election is too important to sit out, and that everyone who had supported Clinton should get involved in the Obama campaign. After the convention in Denver, everyone came back energized and ready to be on one team.
Click here to read the entire interview...
The “Women for the Change We Need” Week continues!
Don’t forget to watch "A Conversation with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton" on Wednesday! See them answer YOUR questions and talk about what’s at stake for women voters in this election. Click HERE to join the conversation at 8PM EDT WEDNESDAY NIGHT (video available to view after that).
This coming weekend – September 19-21 – we’re hosting women’s rallies, women to women phone banks, “Bring Your Daughter to Canvass”, and hundreds of other activities across the country. If your home state isn’t listed, go to your local field office HERE. Please join us!
Alaska: please contact Meredith Fascett at mfascett@alaskansforchange.com or 312-672-2929Colorado: o Larimer Countyo Douglas Countyo Loveland, COFlorida - Click hereIndiana: Click here. Please contact Vanessa Waserman at vwaserman@indianaforchange.com, if you have any questions or need additional informationIowa: Click here Maine: Click hereMichigan: Click hereMinnesota: Click hereMissouri: Please contact your nearest campaign office Montana: Click hereNew Hampshire: Click hereNew Mexico: Click hereNorth Carolina: Click here North Dakota: Click here Ohio: Please contact Liz Shirey at liz@ohiodems.org or (614) 207-7013Oregon: Click here Pennsylvania: o WFO Open House in Wilkes-Barre (Wednesday, 9/17)o Women’s Day of Action in Harrisburg -- Canvass & Phone Bank (Saturday, 9/20)o Women United for Change Rally in Erie (Saturday, 9/20)o “Take Your Daughter to Canvass Day” (Saturday, 9/20): every field office across PA Contact Alexandra Traber atraber@PAforchange.com for more information.o House Parties (statewide): Please contact Katheryn Rosen - krosen@PAforchange.comVirginia: Click hereWashington: Click hereWisconsin: Click here
Alaska: please contact Meredith Fascett at mfascett@alaskansforchange.com or 312-672-2929
Colorado:
o Larimer County
o Douglas County
o Loveland, CO
Florida - Click here
Indiana: Click here. Please contact Vanessa Waserman at vwaserman@indianaforchange.com, if you have any questions or need additional information
Iowa: Click here
Maine: Click here
Michigan: Click here
Minnesota: Click here
Missouri: Please contact your nearest campaign office
Montana: Click here
New Hampshire: Click here
New Mexico: Click here
North Carolina: Click here
North Dakota: Click here
Ohio: Please contact Liz Shirey at liz@ohiodems.org or (614) 207-7013
Oregon: Click here
Pennsylvania:
o WFO Open House in Wilkes-Barre (Wednesday, 9/17)
o Women’s Day of Action in Harrisburg -- Canvass & Phone Bank (Saturday, 9/20)
o Women United for Change Rally in Erie (Saturday, 9/20)
o “Take Your Daughter to Canvass Day” (Saturday, 9/20): every field office across PA Contact Alexandra Traber atraber@PAforchange.com for more information.
o House Parties (statewide): Please contact Katheryn Rosen - krosen@PAforchange.com
Virginia: Click here
Washington: Click here
Wisconsin: Click here
A message from Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, our national Women for Obama Finance Chair...
For anyone looking for a high impact way to support the Obama-Biden campaign in the closing weeks of this election, here is your opportunity: Please join our National Women's Leadership National Issues Conference, taking place October 10 - 11 in Chicago, IL. The National Women's Leadership Issues Conference will be the pinnacle event of the general election to highlight to importance of women's leadership and the women's vote in electing Barack Obama and Joe Biden the next President and Vice President of the United States! Women leaders from all 50 states will convene in Chicago, IL for a two-day conference featuring Senator Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, high-level policy makers and senior campaign advisors. This conference will present important policy and campaign strategy updates and provide field tools for women to take back to their communities.Please register for the conference by making a contribution online at https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/OVFWLF or contact Annie Lieberman or Natalie Jones for additional information at (202) 863-8000. Tickets start at $1,000. There will be wide-ranging issue panels on everything from Energy & Climate Change to Health Care and the Economy. We also have an exciting lineup of strategy briefings, including "Let's Get to Work -- Ground Game Strategies and Messages for Women to Take Back Home for Election Day." Come join our Women's leadership and be part of the Obama-Biden issues-based answer to John McCain and Sarah Palin - as they try to claim that they are the change Americans are seeking from the last eight years of the Bush administration. NO THEY AREN'T - BUT YES WE CAN!
For anyone looking for a high impact way to support the Obama-Biden campaign in the closing weeks of this election, here is your opportunity: Please join our National Women's Leadership National Issues Conference, taking place October 10 - 11 in Chicago, IL.
The National Women's Leadership Issues Conference will be the pinnacle event of the general election to highlight to importance of women's leadership and the women's vote in electing Barack Obama and Joe Biden the next President and Vice President of the United States! Women leaders from all 50 states will convene in Chicago, IL for a two-day conference featuring Senator Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, high-level policy makers and senior campaign advisors. This conference will present important policy and campaign strategy updates and provide field tools for women to take back to their communities.
Please register for the conference by making a contribution online at https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/OVFWLF or contact Annie Lieberman or Natalie Jones for additional information at (202) 863-8000. Tickets start at $1,000.
There will be wide-ranging issue panels on everything from Energy & Climate Change to Health Care and the Economy. We also have an exciting lineup of strategy briefings, including "Let's Get to Work -- Ground Game Strategies and Messages for Women to Take Back Home for Election Day."
Come join our Women's leadership and be part of the Obama-Biden issues-based answer to John McCain and Sarah Palin - as they try to claim that they are the change Americans are seeking from the last eight years of the Bush administration. NO THEY AREN'T - BUT YES WE CAN!
SILVER SPRING, MD -The American Nurses Association (ANA) announces its endorsement of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) in the 2008 Presidential Election. The ANA represents the interests of the nation's 2.9 million registered nurses. "As President, Barack Obama will bring real change to our health care system," said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. "Nurses are consistently voted the most trusted profession by the American people, and we, as a profession, trust that Barack Obama will see that affordable quality health care is made available to everyone." "I am honored to receive the endorsement of the American Nurses Association," said Sen. Barack Obama. "The nurses of America serve our country tirelessly, and I share their belief that we must bring affordable and accessible health care to all Americans. My plan lowers health care costs for the average American family by up to $2500 and finally makes health care work better for American families than it does for the drug and insurance companies." "Both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton spoke at ANA's House of Delegates in June about the need to move forward in unity to bring about real, much needed change to our health care system, and our nurses responded; 'Yes we can'" Patton added. "Nurses represent the largest group of health care professionals in this country, and working together, we can use our power in the voting booth to make health care a priority, and make Barack Obama the next President of the United States." Senator Obama is committed to signing universal health legislation by the end of his first term in office that ensures all Americans havehigh-quality, affordable health care coverage. Barack Obama recognizes that nurses play a critical role in every aspect of patient care, and the nursing shortage ranks as one of the most pressing issues facing our health care system. Obama's health care plan includes expanded funding to improve the primary care and public health practitioner workforce; including loan repayments, improved reimbursement and training grants. Barack Obama has a history of advocacy for nurses and patients. In the Illinois senate, he helped lead efforts to protect nurses and improve the quality of health care. In the U.S. Senate, he cosponsored the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act, which limits mandatory overtime for nurses to true emergency situations, and as President, he has promised to sign this important legislation into law. ANA has been making presidential endorsements since 1984. The endorsement process includes sending a questionnaire on nursing and health care issues to all of the Democratic and Republican candidates, an invitation to all of the democratic and republican candidates for a personal interview and an online survey of ANA's membership regarding which candidate is most supportive of nursing's agenda.
By C. Nicole Mason
Women's eNews
When the John McCain campaign announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as its pick for vice president, women and the Democrats began to seriously worry about how she might influence the outcome of the election.Would women who felt betrayed by the alleged snub of Sen. Hillary Clinton flock to her? Would women vote for her just because she is a woman?At the time, it seemed like a brilliant strategy. Brava McCain, I thought to myself as I listened to my friends and the media pundits try to figure out how to handle this political hot potato. Was Palin the new everywoman; the selfless mother trying to juggle a career, hockey practice, the demands of a large family and the opportunity of a lifetime? Is shattering the glass ceiling, as the GOP is framing it, more important than a person's position on the issues?As an African American woman, I was confused by these questions and the false choice now being presented to me: Vote gender or vote issues. In both instances, I've decided Palin loses out.Yes, Palin is a woman, but not the kind of woman I can easily identify with, nor can many other African American or Latina women. We are not hockey moms, and when our unmarried teen daughters get pregnant society and others often do not see it as a blessing. Rather, we are viewed as perpetuating negative pathologies.So, when I turned on the television and saw Palin speak about herself as the average working mom and woman trying to juggle it all, I couldn't relate. In her, I didn't see myself, my mother, my sister or even my next-door neighbor.On the issues, she might as well be George W. Bush as I can not tell the difference between the two. Although Palin has not spoken publicly about her positions on immigration, affirmative action, job and housing discrimination, school re-segregation, police-minority community relations and racial disparities in the criminal justice system, we know where her party stands on these important issues.What I do know, however, is that she is socially conservative and her stated views and opinions--from supporting the war in Iraq to her views on comprehensive sex education for our country's youth--run counter to many of my deeply held values and beliefs, not to mention those of my community.Black women, Latina black women and Latinas account for 79 percent of all reported HIV infections among 13- to 19-year-old women and 75 percent of HIV infections among 20- to 24-year-old women in the United States. We are also nearly twice as likely to be poor than white women. In short, race and class profoundly affect how African American women and Latinas understand gender and our place in society.When I talk to my friends, many of whom are women of color, about Palin, gender is hardly the point of consideration for them; it is her positions on abortion, comprehensive sex education, the war, affirmative action and immigration that matter most to them. If Oprah Winfrey were running for vice president and had Sarah Palin's views, she wouldn't get my vote either.Perhaps the McCain camp isn't talking to African American and Latina women when they say Palin is the average American mom and woman. If they are, they have a lot of explaining to do.
When the John McCain campaign announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as its pick for vice president, women and the Democrats began to seriously worry about how she might influence the outcome of the election.
Would women who felt betrayed by the alleged snub of Sen. Hillary Clinton flock to her? Would women vote for her just because she is a woman?
At the time, it seemed like a brilliant strategy. Brava McCain, I thought to myself as I listened to my friends and the media pundits try to figure out how to handle this political hot potato. Was Palin the new everywoman; the selfless mother trying to juggle a career, hockey practice, the demands of a large family and the opportunity of a lifetime? Is shattering the glass ceiling, as the GOP is framing it, more important than a person's position on the issues?
As an African American woman, I was confused by these questions and the false choice now being presented to me: Vote gender or vote issues. In both instances, I've decided Palin loses out.
Yes, Palin is a woman, but not the kind of woman I can easily identify with, nor can many other African American or Latina women. We are not hockey moms, and when our unmarried teen daughters get pregnant society and others often do not see it as a blessing. Rather, we are viewed as perpetuating negative pathologies.
So, when I turned on the television and saw Palin speak about herself as the average working mom and woman trying to juggle it all, I couldn't relate. In her, I didn't see myself, my mother, my sister or even my next-door neighbor.
On the issues, she might as well be George W. Bush as I can not tell the difference between the two. Although Palin has not spoken publicly about her positions on immigration, affirmative action, job and housing discrimination, school re-segregation, police-minority community relations and racial disparities in the criminal justice system, we know where her party stands on these important issues.
What I do know, however, is that she is socially conservative and her stated views and opinions--from supporting the war in Iraq to her views on comprehensive sex education for our country's youth--run counter to many of my deeply held values and beliefs, not to mention those of my community.
Black women, Latina black women and Latinas account for 79 percent of all reported HIV infections among 13- to 19-year-old women and 75 percent of HIV infections among 20- to 24-year-old women in the United States. We are also nearly twice as likely to be poor than white women. In short, race and class profoundly affect how African American women and Latinas understand gender and our place in society.
When I talk to my friends, many of whom are women of color, about Palin, gender is hardly the point of consideration for them; it is her positions on abortion, comprehensive sex education, the war, affirmative action and immigration that matter most to them. If Oprah Winfrey were running for vice president and had Sarah Palin's views, she wouldn't get my vote either.
Perhaps the McCain camp isn't talking to African American and Latina women when they say Palin is the average American mom and woman. If they are, they have a lot of explaining to do.
C. Nicole Mason, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Women of Color Policy Network at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University and senior research fellow at the National Council for Research on Women.
Obama supporters meet in Missoula
KPAX-Missoula
Sep 10, 2008
Supporters of Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama gathered in Missoula on Tuesday night to talk about the issue of equal pay in the work force. Montana State Senate Majority Leader Carol Williams (D-Missoula) rallied with other women in Missoula to get more people, specifically women, behind Obama. Williams acted as chair for Hillary Clinton's Montana campaign, but after talking with the New York Senator at the Democratic National Convention, she's putting her efforts into promoting the Obama campaign. Tuesday night, volunteers spoke with other women about Obama and his opponent John McCain, engaging in a community conversation about the importance of this election. "They're very serious about trying to reach out and have women understand Obama's policies and the equality issues, and the issues of education and health care, and how they affect women" said Williams. Hot button issues like the economy, healthcare and the War in Iraq stretch across gender lines, and Williams believes it's easier for women to relate to other women.
Supporters of Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama gathered in Missoula on Tuesday night to talk about the issue of equal pay in the work force.
Montana State Senate Majority Leader Carol Williams (D-Missoula) rallied with other women in Missoula to get more people, specifically women, behind Obama.
Williams acted as chair for Hillary Clinton's Montana campaign, but after talking with the New York Senator at the Democratic National Convention, she's putting her efforts into promoting the Obama campaign.
Tuesday night, volunteers spoke with other women about Obama and his opponent John McCain, engaging in a community conversation about the importance of this election.
"They're very serious about trying to reach out and have women understand Obama's policies and the equality issues, and the issues of education and health care, and how they affect women" said Williams.
Hot button issues like the economy, healthcare and the War in Iraq stretch across gender lines, and Williams believes it's easier for women to relate to other women.
The Irony of Palin's Extreme Conservatism
by Madeleine Kunin
September 10, 2008
Madeleine M. Kunin is the former Governor of Vermont and was the state's first woman governor. She also served as Ambassador to Switzerland for President Clinton.
Yes, Governor Sarah Palin has added a dash of excitement to the Republican ticket, a party which has no history of reaching out to women. Let's remember what this party stands for: the appointment of Justices who are determined to overturn Roe v. Wade. In past elections, it was difficult to get voters to focus on the importance of Supreme Court appointments. It seemed too far off, too hypothetical. That has changed in 2008. We're not talking about the distant future, we are talking now. Senator McCain has told the world that the justices he would appoint would be in the mold of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. He has made that promise not only to the far right; he has made it to the nation.How likely is it that the next President will have the opportunity to fill vacancies? Very. Justice Stevens is 88 years old. Justice Ginsberg is 75 and has had bouts of ill health. Justice Breyer is 70, and Justice Souter, 68, has expressed a desire to return to his native New Hampshire. All four justices have been strong supporters of a woman's right to choose. They also have been in the minority on a host of decisions regarding civil rights and equal pay. The one which affected women most directly was Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. That 5-4 decision denied Lily Ledbetter, a supervisor on the factory floor, the right to sue for pay discrimination because she had not filed her case within 180 days. She found out she had been paid less than her male counterparts, after 20 years.
Yes, Governor Sarah Palin has added a dash of excitement to the Republican ticket, a party which has no history of reaching out to women. Let's remember what this party stands for: the appointment of Justices who are determined to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In past elections, it was difficult to get voters to focus on the importance of Supreme Court appointments. It seemed too far off, too hypothetical. That has changed in 2008. We're not talking about the distant future, we are talking now. Senator McCain has told the world that the justices he would appoint would be in the mold of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. He has made that promise not only to the far right; he has made it to the nation.
How likely is it that the next President will have the opportunity to fill vacancies? Very. Justice Stevens is 88 years old. Justice Ginsberg is 75 and has had bouts of ill health. Justice Breyer is 70, and Justice Souter, 68, has expressed a desire to return to his native New Hampshire. All four justices have been strong supporters of a woman's right to choose. They also have been in the minority on a host of decisions regarding civil rights and equal pay. The one which affected women most directly was Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. That 5-4 decision denied Lily Ledbetter, a supervisor on the factory floor, the right to sue for pay discrimination because she had not filed her case within 180 days. She found out she had been paid less than her male counterparts, after 20 years.
Click here to read more...
Is Palin good for women? NoHer extremist positions are nothing like what women need
By Ellen BravoMilwaukee Journal-Sentinel - Sept. 6, 2008
Many pundits have labeled John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket as an off-message roll of the dice, based on a hasty vetting. In fact, it was probably the most calculated political move he’s made.McCain has a big problem: How does a die-hard conservative who’s championed every failed policy of the last eight years (tax cuts for the rich, the war in Iraq, the power of Big Oil) win the presidency against an inspiring proponent of change? He can’t win by relying solely on the conservative base, and yet he can’t win without them. He has to keep his mantle as a maverick while assuring the Big Boys he has no intention of bucking them.His only chance of victory is to appeal to women disappointed about Hillary Clinton’s loss, to white working class voters and to independents, without alienating conservative extremists.Former Hewlett Packard CEO and McCain finance chair Carly Fiorina might have sparked some women, but she’d antagonize the conservatives with her support for abortion rights and for requiring insurance policies that include Viagra to also cover birth control. The evangelicals would have had a similar reaction to Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge, both of whom are pro-choice. Mitt Romney appealed to the base but would have been a finger in the eye to women and white workers — another four houses to account for.Presto! Sarah Palin, a woman who uses the language of feminism while promoting a staunch evangelical conservative agenda: anti-abortion even in the case of rape and incest, pro-gun, pro-creationism, anti-gay rights, anti-sex education. A woman who introduces her husband as a proud member of the Steelworkers Union while working to open Alaska to Big Oil. A politician who claims to be an environmentalist while denying that global warming is “man-made.” Someone who thinks that the war in Iraq is “God’s task.” A mayor who threatened to fire a town librarian who refused to censor certain books.
Many pundits have labeled John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket as an off-message roll of the dice, based on a hasty vetting. In fact, it was probably the most calculated political move he’s made.
McCain has a big problem: How does a die-hard conservative who’s championed every failed policy of the last eight years (tax cuts for the rich, the war in Iraq, the power of Big Oil) win the presidency against an inspiring proponent of change? He can’t win by relying solely on the conservative base, and yet he can’t win without them. He has to keep his mantle as a maverick while assuring the Big Boys he has no intention of bucking them.
His only chance of victory is to appeal to women disappointed about Hillary Clinton’s loss, to white working class voters and to independents, without alienating conservative extremists.
Former Hewlett Packard CEO and McCain finance chair Carly Fiorina might have sparked some women, but she’d antagonize the conservatives with her support for abortion rights and for requiring insurance policies that include Viagra to also cover birth control. The evangelicals would have had a similar reaction to Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge, both of whom are pro-choice. Mitt Romney appealed to the base but would have been a finger in the eye to women and white workers — another four houses to account for.
Presto! Sarah Palin, a woman who uses the language of feminism while promoting a staunch evangelical conservative agenda: anti-abortion even in the case of rape and incest, pro-gun, pro-creationism, anti-gay rights, anti-sex education. A woman who introduces her husband as a proud member of the Steelworkers Union while working to open Alaska to Big Oil. A politician who claims to be an environmentalist while denying that global warming is “man-made.” Someone who thinks that the war in Iraq is “God’s task.” A mayor who threatened to fire a town librarian who refused to censor certain books.
Ellen Bravo is an author and longtime activist on working women’s issues.
Click here to read the rest of her column...
Palin: wrong woman, wrong message
By Gloria Steinem
Here's the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing -- the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party -- are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president. We owe this to women -- and to many men too -- who have picketed, gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote. We owe it to Shirley Chisholm, who first took the "white-male-only" sign off the White House, and to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who hung in there through ridicule and misogyny to win 18 million votes. But here is even better news: It won't work. This isn't the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."
Here's the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing -- the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party -- are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president. We owe this to women -- and to many men too -- who have picketed, gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote. We owe it to Shirley Chisholm, who first took the "white-male-only" sign off the White House, and to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who hung in there through ridicule and misogyny to win 18 million votes. But here is even better news: It won't work. This isn't the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.
Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."
